Joshua Vasquez is a pediatric resident at Oregon Health and Science University with interests in cardiology, immigrant health, and health equity. The son of Mexican immigrants and a first-generation American, he draws on his lived experience to advocate for children and families often overlooked by the health care system. He leads community-based education sessions for underserved youth and contributes regularly to national conversations on structural injustice in medicine. His writing has been featured in KevinMD and Doximity, and his essay "Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line" explores how policy and identity shape access to care. He believes in the power of storytelling to bring both visibility and change.
As lawmakers debate cuts to Medicaid and restrictions on care for undocumented immigrants, the question isn’t just what America covers—it’s who.
Proposals like the No Medicaid for Illegal Immigrants Act of 2025, and related attempts to embed its provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, aim to block federal funding for Medicaid services to undocumented families. Some state plans go further, threatening to remove children from CHIP if …
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